Organic Compounds and Enzymes Study Guide

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering macromolecules, carbon bonding, nucleic acids, and enzyme characteristics from the Organic Compounds and Enzymes Study Guide.

Monomer

A small molecule that can join with others to form a larger molecule.

Polymer

A large molecule made of linked monomers connected by covalent bonds.

Dehydration synthesis

The process that joins monomers together while removing water.

Monosaccharide

A one-unit sugar, such as glucose ($C_6H_{12}O_6$).

Starch

A polysaccharide used by plants to store energy.

Cellulose

A polysaccharide that provides structural support to plant cell walls and serves as dietary fiber for mammals.

Chitin

A structural polysaccharide found in fungal cell walls and arthropod exoskeletons.

Triglyceride

A lipid molecule composed of three fatty acids joined to one glycerol.

Saturated fat

A fat containing no carbon-carbon double bonds in its fatty-acid chains.

Unsaturated fat

A fat containing one or more carbon-carbon double bonds in its fatty-acid chains.

Hydrophilic

Water-interacting, which characterizes the phosphate head of a phospholipid.

Hydrophobic

Water-avoiding, which characterizes the fatty-acid tails of a phospholipid.

Peptide bond

The covalent bond that links amino acids together.

Polypeptide

A continuous chain of amino acids joined by peptide bonds.

Denaturation

A protein or enzyme's loss or alteration of its typical structural shape, often triggered by extreme temperature or pH.

Nucleotide

The repeating structural unit of DNA and RNA, consisting of a sugar, a phosphate, and a nitrogen base.

DNA

A typically double-stranded nucleic acid containing adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine that stores genetic information.

RNA

A typically single-stranded nucleic acid containing uracil instead of thymine that helps cells utilize genetic instructions.

Enzyme

A biological catalyst that accelerates chemical reactions without being consumed as part of the final product.

Activation energy

The minimum energy required to start a chemical reaction, which enzymes lower to increase reaction rates.

Substrate

The specific reactant molecule that an enzyme acts upon during a reaction.

Active site

The region on an enzyme where the substrate binds.

Induced fit model

The model of enzyme action in which the active site alters its shape slightly as the substrate binds.

Lock-and-key model

The model of enzyme action in which the substrate precisely fits the preformed active site.

Substrate specificity

The property whereby each enzyme possesses an active site shape tailored to fit only particular substrates.